LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 34 The Ballad Engraved in Time
"Pack these up, and it should be pretty much everything."
Inside the house, Annelli was stroking her chin with one hand, looking at Tilan's suitcase, which contained clothes, personal trinkets, self-defense devices, and even signal transmitters and so on.
Since Tilan was going to visit someone, which was essentially similar to traveling, all these items were prepared by her.
"It should be enough, right? There really is no need for all this fuss."
Tilan looked at Annelli, who was still deep in thought, and spoke apologetically. In truth, she had many items stored in her spatial storage, which made travelling anywhere very convenient; however, she couldn't casually share this fact with Annelli.
"Not at all, when I travel far, I need at least a dozen people with me: translators, attendants for daily needs, doctors, bodyguards, and so forth. Only when the team is fully equipped, it's proper."
"Had Tilan not said she didn't want so many, I would've definitely had them bring everything possible," said Annelli, patting her chest.
"But even if Tilan doesn't need all that, at least take Aiko and Ella with you," she said. Aiko and Ella, mentioned by Annelli, were two maids familiar to Tilan in the house. They were twins, about 20 years old, with the strength of Sequence 4, and were proficient in all kinds of affairs, ranging from hygiene, cooking, first aid, to translation, combat, survival, and so on.
"Otherwise, it's really inconvenient to go alone without someone to look after you."
Hearing Annelli's suggestion, Tilan thought it over and finally nodded her head, feeling that she indeed might need help along the way, and going alone would be troublesome.
After the suitcase was ready, the three of them boarded the small flying vehicle at Edith Academy. Soon, the silver-hued flying vehicle rose and flew in the direction of the South Fourth District.
A tapestry of fiery red and lush green leaves intertwined, forming a dazzling and luxuriant world. The home of Ran Bei'er was nestled among these undulating forests and mountains, with occasional glimpses of grey highways peeking through the woods, indicating this was not a wilderness but a place where people lived.
The aircraft landed in the white castle, let down its passengers, and then took off again, disappearing into the horizon.
"Welcome~" Ran Bei'er, along with several family members and the butler, greeted Tilan on the castle's landing pad.
"I was beginning to think Tilan wasn't coming," said Ran Bei'er, cheerily approaching, taking the girl's hand, and leading her towards her family.
Soon, Tilan noticed the distinct trait of their family lineage; almost everyone had pale pink or rather light wisteria-colored hair, with a touch of flaxen grey in the light pink hue, giving the overall visual a hazy softness. The subdued enchantment of the pink and purple made their allure even more hidden.
Ran Bei'er's parents appeared somewhat older, with streaks of white in their hair, though they were neatly groomed and wearing dark, yet understated clothing, as they welcomed their daughter's friend.
Besides the two elders, there were Ran Bei'er's brother and sister, as well as the butler standing by. The butler was in his thirties, with black hair and a slightly hooked nose, always smiling, in contrast to Ran Bei'er's pinkish eyes. Her brother and sister both had red pupils. The two children clung to Ran Bei'er's dress, stealing glances at Tilan, seemingly curious and shy.
After settling Tilan into her quarters and storing her luggage, Ran Bei'er took Tilan on a tour around the castle, followed by four maids. Two of them, Aiko and Ella, accompanied Tilan and had light blue hair, wearing white maid dresses. The other two maids were servants of the Ran Bei'er family, with hair similar to their masters in pink tones and dressed mainly in black and red maid uniforms.
Walking through the slightly chilly stone corridors, Tilan, out of curiosity, gently touched the stones beside her with her fingertips, feeling the slightly cold and hard texture.
It was clear that these were genuine stones, not artificial constructs imitating reality.
"Does this castle belong to Ran Bei'er's family?" the girl couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, not just this castle, but a radius of ten kilometers all belongs to our family. However, it's quite remote around here with forests everywhere, so not many people are interested in it," Ran Bei'er explained.
"How much did the initial purchase cost? It must have been expensive."
"I don't know about that, but it wasn't actually so costly," Ran Bei'er continued.
"Our family came to Jade Skirt very early, so early that at that time it wasn't called Jade Skirt, but was just designated by letters and numbers."
"Back then, the entire biosphere was still under construction. Our ancestors spent a lot of money to make additional investments and got this piece of land in advance."
"However, our family isn't skilled in business. Over the next few hundred years, we gradually sold off a lot of the land. This forest and the castle are the only parts left now, and it's less than a tenth of what we started with." She explained in such a way, but her tone seemed very casual, without much sadness.
"In recent years, we often open this forest for hunting and tourism, earning some income from it, and a considerable part of that income is used for forest protection, castle maintenance, staff expenses, and so on. Truth be told, it doesn't make much money, but our family doesn't mind," she said.
"We could probably sustain losses for another hundred years or so. As for future generations, that will depend on their thinking," Ran Bei'er said, covering her mouth with a chuckle.
"Has Tilan been studying too much about economics recently, to suddenly start paying attention to these things?"
"Yes," the young girl complained helplessly.
"Hehehe, things like the economy, I've always felt were made too complicated since I was young. I eventually gave up on them. Perhaps it's just something our family has no knack for," Ran Bei'er began as she led the young girl to a watchtower within the castle to take in the distant scenery.
The fierce sunshine beamed between the layers of forest leaves on the opposite mountain, and as the summer breeze blew, the fiery red and emerald leaves swayed, rustling sound of the leaves reached them.
"Take a good rest. For now, don't bother with those annoying numbers," she said, leaning on the windowsill, as she spoke into the summer wind.
"Mm."
Throughout the afternoon, Ran Bei'er took the young girl around the castle. Although the building's style was ancient, reminiscent of past aristocratic castles, it didn't lack modern conveniences, such as electric lights, and contemporary electrical appliances hidden among the classical decorations.
Tilan noticed that the metal pipes behind an ancient pipe organ were, in fact, ventilation and cooling systems. The brass and wood-clad boxes in the living room were actually refrigerators upon opening, and the lifted horn of the music box served as a projector as well.
At night, following the Ran family, they dined alongside a long table in the dining room, steaming and luxuriously opulent food laid on the tablecloth-covered table, while several maids and butlers helped carve the roast suckling pig, slice the bread, and pour the wine.
After enjoying the sumptuous meal, Ran Bei'er took Tilan to a smaller room featuring an antique grand piano. With gilded patterns and wear on its details and corners, it must also have a history of several hundred years.
Ran Bei'er sat next to the piano, her fingertips fluttering. A soothing and melodious music began to play, accompanied by the occasional chirping of insects in the courtyard outside the window, a tranquil and comfortable summer ambiance slowly permeated the room.
Ancient stars,
Spinning fates,
Three keys to unlock,
Flowers that never fade,
Must blossom in the depth of your eyes,
The winds of the seasons,
Please sing for me,
Sing of the hero who wields the Flame Spear,
Sing of the Witch sunk into the deep sea,
Sing of the united Three Saints,
Sing of the halted steel sonata,
Awakening in the sunrise time and again,
With hesitant steps,
Tears and joy interweave into a colorful canvas,
Singing of the rebirth of life,
...
The melody was not complex, but within its simple repetition, it became more moving. The singing seemed to travel from the far end of the ancient river of time, filled with an ancient, fairy-tale-like aura.